1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a card edge connector with a card-disengagement-preventing function, and in particular, to a card edge connector with a card-disengagement-preventing function that is adapted to electrically connect an electronic card to a circuit board.
2. Description of Related Art
A conventional receptacle comprises a body for an external component (e.g., a memory chip) to be inserted therein. The body is formed with two rotary holes at two ends thereof respectively. At two ends of the body, two ear clips are pivoted respectively, each of which is provided with two rotary shafts and a detent portion. Each of the rotary shafts is pivoted into a corresponding one of the rotary holes, and the detent portion is fastened to the external component for purpose to fix the external component.
However, during the process of assembling different electronic components, if the external component has already been assembled onto the receptacle, then the external component may sometimes been touched accidentally when other assembling steps are being performed. Because the receptacle has no other structures for fixing the external component but the detent portion, it is very likely that the external component will disengage from the receptacle in such a case.
In view of the aforementioned shortcomings, the present inventor has made an improvement on the receptacle. That is, as disclosed in China Patent Application CNO3226043.1, a receptacle “a” for an electronic card “b” to be inserted therein (as shown in FIG. 1) comprises a body a11 and two ear clips a12. The body a11 has two recesses a111 and two shaft holes a112 formed at two ends thereof respectively. Each of the ear clips a12 is pivoted to one end of the body a11 respectively, and is provided with two protrusions a121, two pivoting shafts a122 and a detent portion a123. Each of the protrusions a121 is disposed in a corresponding one of the recesses a111 with a first gap L1 being left therebetween; each of the pivoting shafts a122 is disposed in a corresponding one of the shaft holes a112 with a second gap L2 being left therebetween, which is greater than or equal to the first gap L1; and the detent portion a123 is fastened to the electronic card “b”.
In case the electronic card “b” is ejected out under an external force, because the second gap L2 is greater than or equal to the first gap L1, an upper surface of each protrusion a121 will abut against an upper surface of the corresponding recess a111 before the pivoting shafts a122 reach the top of the shaft holes a112, thereby preventing the pivoting shafts a122 from continuing moving upward and, consequently, preventing the pivot shafts a122 from pivoting outwards after making contact with the top portion of the shaft holes a122. Thus, disengagement of the electronic card “b” from the receptacle “a” is prevented.
Although by making the second gap L2 to be greater than or equal to the first gap L1 in the receptacle “a”, an effect of preventing disengagement of the electronic card “b” is achieved to some extent, this solution still suffers from the following disadvantages.
The electronic card “b” may be mistakenly pulled upward unexpectedly, and after the electronic card “b” is pulled upward, each of the ear clips a12 is subjected to an external force opposite to a direction in which the electronic card “b” is inserted. As a first position c1 where the electronic card “b” mates with the detent portion a123 and a second position c2 where the recess a111 mates with the protrusion a121 have the same distance from the central perpendicular line (not shown), a torque corresponding to the external force is generated for the ear clip a12, with the protrusion a121 as a fulcrum, to drive the ear clip a12 to rotate in a direction towards or away from the central perpendicular line, making it possible for the ear clip a12 to rotate towards or away from the central perpendicular line. However, in the above reference, it is impossible for the ear clip a12 to rotate towards the central perpendicular line because no clearance that is closer to the central perpendicular line than the pivoting shaft a122 is provided in a lateral direction between the shaft hole a112 and the pivoting shaft a122. Due to lack of the clearance that allows for rotation of the ear clip a12, the ear clip a12 is unable to rotate towards the central perpendicular line but only able to rotate away from the central perpendicular line, so it is still likely to cause disengagement of the electronic card “b” from the receptacle “a”.
In summary, the conventional receptacle “a” is not the optimal technical solution for fixing the electronic card “b”. In view of the afore-mentioned shortcoming, the present inventor thinks it necessary to make further refinement on the structure of the receptacle “a” in order to provide an improved receptacle “a” for fixing the electronic card “b” more effectively.
Accordingly, it is necessary to design a novel receptacle for fixing the electronic card more securely.